How many people still shoot with mirror lens these days ?

jcdoss · 10-28-2019, 07:52 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by From1980

Oh you poor afflicted soul. I sincerely hope you can soon be cured of this terrible deprived state.

Yeah, I'm still recovering from withdrawal symptoms. Hopefully I will make thru this difficult period.

Snapppy · 10-28-2019, 08:22 AM

Originally posted by kiwi_jono

Nice posts.

It took 3 mirrors to find one I like. First was riddled with fungus (forget brand - but performance sucked anyway), second is a Optika 500 f8 (small even for a mirror but average IQ - still have for now) and finally a Tamron 500 SP f8.
The Tamron while not "Limited" lens sharp has pretty decent sharpness. Bokeh can be great or terrible depending on background, distance of background from subject and your opinion!

But its pretty small for a 500mm and certainly handy to have in my toolkit.

Just some quick snaps (plus corresponding flickr links):
Seagull preening | Jonathan Wilson | Flickr

500mm Bokeh | Who says 500mm mirror always have bad bokeh? A? | Flickr

Hawk in action | Jonathan Wilson | Flickr

That last image is way impressive! I'm just imagining the patience to get that shot, setting up the focus before hand, being steady... well executed.

Originally posted by Cipher

I have a Rokinon 300mm f6.3 (converted from Minolta A mount) that I have used on my Pentax Q7:

Diffraction and heat distortion of distant objects do make it hard to use, however:

What a cool setup! Love it!

I have not tried a mirror lens yet but wouldn't be against it if I found one in my garage sale prowling. The quality has not impressed me enough to really try to find one, and I don't use longer focal lengths usually anyway. But, some of these examples show with enough skill you can pull off something pretty great with just about anything I guess..

**ThorSanchez** · 10-28-2019, 09:27 AM

Earlier in the summer I saw a Rokinon 500mm mirror lens on KEH for $30. So what the heck, figured it might be interesting for moon shots and maybe some birds. I've only tried it out a few times, and it's not been good. Cropping with the 55-300PLM is sharper, and that's with me putting the K-3ii + mirror lens on a tripod with a timer and really trying to get focus close. I've gotten good moon results with pixel shift and the 55-300, so maybe I'll try that with the mirror, too.

lotech · 10-28-2019, 09:40 PM

I got a Samyang/Rokinon 500mm/5.6 before, it was bargain brand new, it was quite large and the focusing was stiff, the sharpness and contrast were far off compare with the Tamron, it took heavy POST to produce presentable image, I gave it up and I found the MTO, I never look back ! I am lazy rarely shoot with tripod, the MTO is manageable the focusing is smoother where the Rokinon was slow to use easy to miss the shot.

Last edited by lotech; 10-28-2019 at 09:52 PM.

lotech · 10-29-2019, 07:50 PM - **1 Like**

I forgot to mention, this one is interesting and very rare, wonder if anyone ever used it. There are very few photo sample I can find on the internet here are some from Taiwan. Afaik there are 2 version of this lens one with variable aperture, it is good to have one handy for everyday carry if the price is right.

Ohnar 300mm F5.6-16 Reflex Mirror ??? @ Leon????? :: ??? Xuite??

I don't know if 'stopping down' can reduce vignetting, but using on APS-C already reduced that.

Thagomizer · 10-31-2019, 08:47 AM

Originally posted by disconnekt

You have plenty of shelf space? That's the wrong thing to say around these parts, partner!
"One of us! One of us! One of us!"
😂

Yes, and mirrors are so light and compact compared to "real" lenses! RESISTANCE IS FUTILE; YOU WILL BE ASSIMILATED!

jcdoss · 10-31-2019, 09:29 AM

Originally posted by GUB

Are you thinking of the K series 400-600mm?
Like all zooms it is not bleeding edge sharp but it seems to have an art to it which wins me over.

I have been fairly obsessed with this lens since you guys brought it up. That green pigeon photo you posted is really good, and bleeding edge sharpness I don't think is required for what looks like should be the purpose of this lens... unique painterly images. This, plus the general coolness and unique design are starting to chisel away at my will to resist.

jimr-pdx · 10-31-2019, 12:07 PM

I miss my Quantaray 300/5.6 mirror, it was a good one. I now have a Sakar 500/8, still small & light and ~ 1:2 closeup ability. Must grab a tripod and check it out in more detail.

lotech · 10-31-2019, 09:19 PM

I believe any 300mm mirror from the 'film era' are good, mirror lens has never been a hot item especially in the digital age, I doubt any designer/manufacturer will spend effort to perfect it, it was just to complete the product line to include one. There are few different made of old 300mm mirror they looked the same I believe they are the same lens, mine was 'Foto' I believe is the same Quantaray and it took beautiful pics with good color and contrast, I could not post the pics as my free use quota used up and I do not post pics often so not decided to subscribe to post more pics. There are 2 very rare 300mm mirror I am looking for, the Ohnar and the extremely rare and expensive Russian 3M-7K.

jcdoss · 11-15-2019, 08:58 AM

Question regarding the 400-600 Reflex Zoom. The 1.4x-L page indicates that this lens is among those compatible with this converter, a limited list due to the protruding front element on the converter. Is this true because it seems super unlikely to me.

lotech · 11-15-2019, 10:53 PM

I just want to add something regarding AF on mirror lens. I got the Pentax 1.7x extender that can do AF, it worked on most lenses except the 500mm mirror, it was too dark to focus, but I believe 300mm may work I have not tried as I no longer have the extender and the 300mm mirror, but since Minolta produced the first 500mm AF mirror so I believe it is possible with add on AF extender.

lotech · 01-02-2020, 02:42 AM - **1 Like**

I finally get my hands dirty again to acquire this tiny beauty as EDC lens, the Ohnar 300mm/f5.6, it got high score in the review so I give it a try. Frankly I am little disappointed, it does not have the same quality and handling of my most loved Russian MTO 3M5CA 500mm/f8. The Ohnar is harder to get sharp focus and the color and contrast seems to be few hairs lower than the MTO, I applied POST to both as needed for mirror lenses. I did more USM to the Ohnar and also boost the color little more to get to the same level, and strangely I felt there is little more depth to the MTO that I can easier to get sharp focus considering it is a 500mm lens, my next goal will be to get back the Rubina 300mm/f4.5 that I bought and sold couple times before !

And finally one good news to me, I donated little money in order to get more space to post more pics

lotech · 01-04-2020, 08:04 AM - **2 Likes**

Few more in good sun light, slightly enhanced and cropped.

Thagomizer · 01-06-2020, 01:53 PM

Originally posted by lotech

Few more in good sun light, slightly enhanced and cropped.

My favourite is the turtle shot. The bokeh works very well with the subject .

lotech · 01-06-2020, 02:27 PM

Originally posted by Thagomizer

My favourite is the turtle shot. The bokeh works very well with the subject .

Thanks, it's not the sharpest one but the background is more natural, it took some patience and luck to get a good shot, and lens shield is very important for the highly reflective mirror to avoid any bit of stray light that will ruin the picture.

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10-28-2019, 07:52 AM - 1 Like	#46
jcdoss Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Ingelheim am Rhein, Germany Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,801	Originally posted by From1980 Oh you poor afflicted soul. I sincerely hope you can soon be cured of this terrible deprived state. Yeah, I'm still recovering from withdrawal symptoms. Hopefully I will make thru this difficult period.

10-28-2019, 08:22 AM	#47
Snapppy Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2011 Photos: Albums Posts: 485	Originally posted by kiwi_jono Nice posts. It took 3 mirrors to find one I like. First was riddled with fungus (forget brand - but performance sucked anyway), second is a Optika 500 f8 (small even for a mirror but average IQ - still have for now) and finally a Tamron 500 SP f8. The Tamron while not "Limited" lens sharp has pretty decent sharpness. Bokeh can be great or terrible depending on background, distance of background from subject and your opinion! But its pretty small for a 500mm and certainly handy to have in my toolkit. Just some quick snaps (plus corresponding flickr links): Seagull preening \| Jonathan Wilson \| Flickr 500mm Bokeh \| Who says 500mm mirror always have bad bokeh? A? \| Flickr Hawk in action \| Jonathan Wilson \| Flickr That last image is way impressive! I'm just imagining the patience to get that shot, setting up the focus before hand, being steady... well executed. Originally posted by Cipher I have a Rokinon 300mm f6.3 (converted from Minolta A mount) that I have used on my Pentax Q7: Diffraction and heat distortion of distant objects do make it hard to use, however: What a cool setup! Love it! I have not tried a mirror lens yet but wouldn't be against it if I found one in my garage sale prowling. The quality has not impressed me enough to really try to find one, and I don't use longer focal lengths usually anyway. But, some of these examples show with enough skill you can pull off something pretty great with just about anything I guess..

10-28-2019, 09:40 PM	#49
lotech Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2012 Posts: 1,312 Original Poster	I got a Samyang/Rokinon 500mm/5.6 before, it was bargain brand new, it was quite large and the focusing was stiff, the sharpness and contrast were far off compare with the Tamron, it took heavy POST to produce presentable image, I gave it up and I found the MTO, I never look back ! I am lazy rarely shoot with tripod, the MTO is manageable the focusing is smoother where the Rokinon was slow to use easy to miss the shot. Last edited by lotech; 10-28-2019 at 09:52 PM.

10-29-2019, 07:50 PM - 1 Like	#50
lotech Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2012 Posts: 1,312 Original Poster	I forgot to mention, this one is interesting and very rare, wonder if anyone ever used it. There are very few photo sample I can find on the internet here are some from Taiwan. Afaik there are 2 version of this lens one with variable aperture, it is good to have one handy for everyday carry if the price is right. Ohnar 300mm F5.6-16 Reflex Mirror ??? @ Leon????? :: ??? Xuite?? I don't know if 'stopping down' can reduce vignetting, but using on APS-C already reduced that.

10-31-2019, 08:47 AM	#51
Thagomizer Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: London Ontario Posts: 2,068	Originally posted by disconnekt You have plenty of shelf space? That's the wrong thing to say around these parts, partner! "One of us! One of us! One of us!" 😂 Yes, and mirrors are so light and compact compared to "real" lenses! RESISTANCE IS FUTILE; YOU WILL BE ASSIMILATED!

10-31-2019, 09:29 AM	#52
jcdoss Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Ingelheim am Rhein, Germany Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,801	Originally posted by GUB Are you thinking of the K series 400-600mm? Like all zooms it is not bleeding edge sharp but it seems to have an art to it which wins me over. I have been fairly obsessed with this lens since you guys brought it up. That green pigeon photo you posted is really good, and bleeding edge sharpness I don't think is required for what looks like should be the purpose of this lens... unique painterly images. This, plus the general coolness and unique design are starting to chisel away at my will to resist.

10-31-2019, 12:07 PM	#53
jimr-pdx Pentaxian Join Date: May 2010 Location: now 1 hour north of PDX Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,897	I miss my Quantaray 300/5.6 mirror, it was a good one. I now have a Sakar 500/8, still small & light and ~ 1:2 closeup ability. Must grab a tripod and check it out in more detail.

10-31-2019, 09:19 PM	#54
lotech Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2012 Posts: 1,312 Original Poster	I believe any 300mm mirror from the 'film era' are good, mirror lens has never been a hot item especially in the digital age, I doubt any designer/manufacturer will spend effort to perfect it, it was just to complete the product line to include one. There are few different made of old 300mm mirror they looked the same I believe they are the same lens, mine was 'Foto' I believe is the same Quantaray and it took beautiful pics with good color and contrast, I could not post the pics as my free use quota used up and I do not post pics often so not decided to subscribe to post more pics. There are 2 very rare 300mm mirror I am looking for, the Ohnar and the extremely rare and expensive Russian 3M-7K.

11-15-2019, 08:58 AM	#55
jcdoss Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Ingelheim am Rhein, Germany Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,801	Question regarding the 400-600 Reflex Zoom. The 1.4x-L page indicates that this lens is among those compatible with this converter, a limited list due to the protruding front element on the converter. Is this true because it seems super unlikely to me.

11-15-2019, 10:53 PM	#56
lotech Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2012 Posts: 1,312 Original Poster	I just want to add something regarding AF on mirror lens. I got the Pentax 1.7x extender that can do AF, it worked on most lenses except the 500mm mirror, it was too dark to focus, but I believe 300mm may work I have not tried as I no longer have the extender and the 300mm mirror, but since Minolta produced the first 500mm AF mirror so I believe it is possible with add on AF extender.

01-06-2020, 01:53 PM	#59
Thagomizer Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: London Ontario Posts: 2,068	Originally posted by lotech Few more in good sun light, slightly enhanced and cropped. My favourite is the turtle shot. The bokeh works very well with the subject .

01-06-2020, 02:27 PM	#60
lotech Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2012 Posts: 1,312 Original Poster	Originally posted by Thagomizer My favourite is the turtle shot. The bokeh works very well with the subject . Thanks, it's not the sharpest one but the background is more natural, it took some patience and luck to get a good shot, and lens shield is very important for the highly reflective mirror to avoid any bit of stray light that will ruin the picture.